Worst Interstate drive you have experienced

[Road Hog]

Nobody said I-49? Maybe it's just because I used to drive it so much but I hate the Shreveport to Alex. section. Also the future 49 in Arkansas from the state line to Texarkana is super bland. Yeah because its new but the spaced out exits and lack of mileage signs make it seem a lot less than 40 miles

That stretch of I-49 is smooth, but it's usually crawling with smokeys. What makes it so dull between Shreveport and Opelousas is the lack of services and attractions along it. Natchitoches and Alexandria are the only towns of any size. Once you get to Opelousas you feel like you're back in civilization.

[mcdonaat]

The stretch of I-49 in Louisiana is super smooth, and if 85% of the traffic was doing 75+ anyways, there shouldn't be a huge group of people who do 80 now. Light traffic, high speed limit, and Alexandria and Natchitoches are the two major places on I-49. Opelousas-Carencro-Lafayette seem to converge into one blob. If you really want to see bland, try going down US 71 between Alexandria and US 190. Lecompte, Bunkie, and that's it.

I would like to nominate US 90 between Lafayette and Berwick as the most boring stretch of highway. It's going to either be a Future I-6 or Future I-49, and the fact that it bypasses every town makes it a very boring trip. Plus, it seems to take forever from Lafayette to Morgan City.

[Roadsguy]

I-78 in PA. Especially from its first merge with 22 east of 81 over to Hamburg. It's just laser-straight.

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[jemacedo9]

I-95 in CT - I've traveled that every summer since I was a kid - there's always traffic, construction, crazy drivers (both fast and slow, cars zooming in and out of lanes, and other cars left-lane hogging...), all day every day and nights.  One minor accident stops the whole works...

[cpzilliacus]

No mentions in this thread of two of my least-favorite Interstate segments, both in Penn's Woods:

(1) the "western" part of "free" I-70 in Pennsylvania, from I-79 all the way to New Stanton.  Substandard design (including inadequate on- and off-ramps, no left shoulder at all, frequently no right shoulder and interchanges with "right-off/right-on" ramps that look like they were adapted from at-grade signalized intersections [and maybe they were]), lanes that seem narrower than they should be and low overpasses.

(2) I-83 from the Maryland border to Harrisburg.  Same problems as the western segment of I-70 (at least the Dead Man's Curve south of York has been remediated), and a dangerous and inadequate ramp where I-83 northbound exits from itself onto Harrisburg's Capital Beltway.

[Roadsguy]

No mentions in this thread of two of my least-favorite Interstate segments, both in Penn's Woods:

(1) the "western" part of "free" I-70 in Pennsylvania, from I-79 all the way to New Stanton.  Substandard design (including inadequate on- and off-ramps, no left shoulder at all, frequently no right shoulder and interchanges with "right-off/right-on" ramps that look like they were adapted from at-grade signalized intersections [and maybe they were]), lanes that seem narrower than they should be and low overpasses.

(2) I-83 from the Maryland border to Harrisburg.  Same problems as the western segment of I-70 (at least the Dead Man's Curve south of York has been remediated), and a dangerous and inadequate ramp where I-83 northbound exits from itself onto Harrisburg's Capital Beltway.

I like the look and feel of old road designs. However, I don't like them actually being there since they're so substandard.

And I-83 doesn't exit itself northbound. It either...

-Ends... at itself, or
-Has a left exit with a lane drop, and then a two-lane left entrance ramp.

[Compulov]

I like the look and feel of old road designs. However, I don't like them actually being there since they're so substandard.

Is that like saying that toys were so much better when they were made from sharp metal and painted with lead paint?

[vdeane]

I like the look and feel of old road designs. However, I don't like them actually being there since they're so substandard.

And I-83 doesn't exit itself northbound. It either...

-Ends... at itself, or
-Has a left exit with a lane drop, and then a two-lane left entrance ramp.

I guess you're not that familiar with northeast freeway culture.  The interstates aren't the through routes up here - the older freeways that pre-date the interstates are, and the interstates are just along for the ride, with the ability to make turns onto other roads just like US and state routes can.

[Compulov]

I guess you're not that familiar with northeast freeway culture.  The interstates aren't the through routes up here - the older freeways that pre-date the interstates are, and the interstates are just along for the ride, with the ability to make turns onto other roads just like US and state routes can.

Driving around the freeways in California (especially CA-163 in San Diego and the various freeways in San Francisco) reminded me of home for the same reason. A number of their freeways predate the Interstate system (and modern Interstate standards) as well.

[Roadsguy]

I like the look and feel of old road designs. However, I don't like them actually being there since they're so substandard.

Is that like saying that toys were so much better when they were made from sharp metal and painted with lead paint?

Okay, maybe not feel.

[OCGuy81]

Driving around the freeways in California (especially CA-163 in San Diego and the various freeways in San Francisco) reminded me of home for the same reason. A number of their freeways predate the Interstate system (and modern Interstate standards) as well.

If you find CA-163 bad, check out majority on the interstates in Oregon.  I know, I know, I'll probably get some angry replies on this one, but I-5 in PDX is just awful.   

[Strider]

I-95 in CT - I've traveled that every summer since I was a kid - there's always traffic, construction, crazy drivers (both fast and slow, cars zooming in and out of lanes, and other cars left-lane hogging...), all day every day and nights.  One minor accident stops the whole works...

Resurrected the thread. Yes, I drove through CT on I-95 and I can not believe the traffic! Especially from New Haven to RI state line where I-95 reduces from 6 to 4 lanes (for the most part), but it was fun following other cars zooming in and out of lanes. Seemed the only way at that time I could handle CT traffic, but otherwise it is SCREAMING for widening to 6 lanes the entire state.

[Strider]

I-78 in PA. Especially from its first merge with 22 east of 81 over to Hamburg. It's just laser-straight.

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I second that one. Out of the interstates I drove in, I-78 is the worst of all, followed by I-85 in Virginia (Tree canyon).

[1995hoo]

I-78 in PA. Especially from its first merge with 22 east of 81 over to Hamburg. It's just laser-straight.

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I second that one. Out of the interstates I drove in, I-78 is the worst of all, followed by I-85 in Virginia (Tree canyon).

It's funny, while I-85 in Virginia is boring, I would never nominate it as a "worst" Interstate because on the way south, I've always found it to be a calm respite after fighting my way down I-95 from Fairfax County to Petersburg, and on the way north I always found it to be a silent, smooth road compared to the condition of North Carolina's portion. (I should mention that I was constantly driving I-85 between 1995 and 1998 while attending Duke Law, but I travel it a lot less since then and I know North Carolina was improving at least some segments of their portion between Durham and the state line.) In other words, the circumstances of where that particular segment falls in any trip beyond either end of Virginia's segment of I-85 trumps the "boring" aspect in my mind....although with that said, I'm not using that road on the way south this Saturday because I find US-29 to Greensboro to be more pleasant than the Interstate.

[doorknob60]

I-5 between Wilsonville and Grants Pass is boring as hell, and there's hills south of Eugene.  Also, apparently, the entire stretch of I-5 in Oregon is a construction zone since ODOT never puts end road work signs, and there's plenty of 'TRAFFIC FINES ARE DOUBLED' signs...  :\

Also, ODOT doesn't have a speed limit higher than 65...

Agreed on the speed limits, and Wilsonville to Eugene. But I find the stretch from Eugene to Grants Pass (and all the way to Redding, where it gets painful again) mildly enjoyable. It's nothing special, but I won't complain. Although, I haven't driven it too many times (from Bend there's not much reason to).

[thenetwork]

I had to drive into Denver from Western CO today on business.  And throughout the day, nearly every darn freeway had some sort of congestion.  The worst was some sort of accident on NB I-25  in the tech center.  I drove south and saw about 5 miles of stop & go on all 5 lanes. And midday traffic was equally heavy both ways on I-70, I-270 and the West end of I-76.  Weather was not a problem either.  And the cops were all over the place on speed patrol as well -- especially near the twin tunnels widening project west of town.

I forgot how many kamikaze merges and weaves there are on I-70 between I-25 and I-270.  The rebuild can't come fast enough!

[Zzonkmiles]

I-78 in PA. Especially from its first merge with 22 east of 81 over to Hamburg. It's just laser-straight.

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I second that one. Out of the interstates I drove in, I-78 is the worst of all, followed by I-85 in Virginia (Tree canyon).

It's funny, while I-85 in Virginia is boring, I would never nominate it as a "worst" Interstate because on the way south, I've always found it to be a calm respite after fighting my way down I-95 from Fairfax County to Petersburg, and on the way north I always found it to be a silent, smooth road compared to the condition of North Carolina's portion. (I should mention that I was constantly driving I-85 between 1995 and 1998 while attending Duke Law, but I travel it a lot less since then and I know North Carolina was improving at least some segments of their portion between Durham and the state line.) In other words, the circumstances of where that particular segment falls in any trip beyond either end of Virginia's segment of I-85 trumps the "boring" aspect in my mind....although with that said, I'm not using that road on the way south this Saturday because I find US-29 to Greensboro to be more pleasant than the Interstate.

Agreed. I-85 in Virginia doesn't get a lot of traffic at all. And after maybe two or three exits after the I-95 split, the tree canyon/median begins and it's just a peaceful race through the pines. However, the only thing I don't like is how the turnaround lanes for the cops are hidden in the forested median, so you can't be sure where the speed traps are. I don't know if I like heading south or north more on this section of highway. It's quite pretty and relaxing.

As for the North Carolina portion of I-85, it is much better than it used to be. The section from Durham to the Virginia border is still hit and miss, but from Greensboro to Charlotte, they have really improved the road. It's wider and they rerouted the segment over the Yadkin River so that it's safer and that left-lane merge is gone. The Kannapolis section is still crowded, but I think they are widening that part too.

[1995hoo]

... but from Greensboro to Charlotte, they have really improved the road. It's wider and they rerouted the segment over the Yadkin River so that it's safer and that left-lane merge is gone. The Kannapolis section is still crowded, but I think they are widening that part too.

I'll see tomorrow how that segment is coming. I encountered a lot of that construction in December 2012 on our way south for Christmas, so I'm interested in seeing how it's evolved since then. I remember well how narrow the road used to be from the Yadkin down to the point where it cuts west near that US-29 access road. Even with the widening still in progress, it was a big improvement.

[StogieGuy7]

Well, to me, "worst" and "most boring" are two different things.  For one thing, I cannot believe that nobody here has nominated I-55 from Chicago to St. Louis as the "most boring"!   Although I-57 south of Chicago gives it a run for its money.  Both run through flat, featureless. BORING countryside.  Frankly, IL, IN and OH have a number of nominees for the 'most boring' interstate, given their flat and dull scenery and uninspired freeway designs.  Drive much around here and you'll think of I-70 through Kansas could be a future national park!

Now "worst" has to be a shared honor between I-84 and I-95 in Fairfield and New Haven Counties, Connecticut, along with their non-interstate cousin - the Merritt Parkway.  As little as 7 total lanes connect New England with about 90% of the rest of the USA.  And the congestion is horrible!  I-95 is a disgrace, too narrow and incredibly congested; I-84 is filled with unnecessarily sharp curves and ill-placed left exits.  On a holiday weekend, it can easily take 7 or 8 hours to get from the Boston area to just past New York City.   It once took us 4 hours to get from Danbury to Manchester, CT and I've had 4 hour waits getting from Greenwich to New Haven too.   Just dreadful. 

It's a bottleneck that affects traffic on a national scale because the only other interstate connecting the 6 New England states with the rest of the USA is I-90, a better road that's not convenient unless you're headed straight west from Boston and points north toward Buffalo and Cleveland.  Anywhere else and you're forced to pass through SW CT and it's horrible interstates.

[Pete from Boston]

Wow, not only have I made that trip hundreds of times with a very low percentage of the kind of delays you describe, but the Boston-NY route is hyper-redundant — there are more high-speed "escape routes" than one will find in nearly any similar trip. I just did it on a Friday at 3pm — one of the worst times to depart Boston — and other than the reasonable rush-hour sluggishness just outside Boston and Hartford, I kept moving well.  Are there enough lanes that one can speed through without having to think about it?  No. Sadly, this trip may require a map, flexibility, and thinking. But dreadful?  Only on occasion, and almost never without better alternatives.

[StogieGuy7]

Wow, not only have I made that trip hundreds of times with a very low percentage of the kind of delays you describe, but the Boston-NY route is hyper-redundant — there are more high-speed "escape routes" than one will find in nearly any similar trip. I just did it on a Friday at 3pm — one of the worst times to depart Boston — and other than the reasonable rush-hour sluggishness just outside Boston and Hartford, I kept moving well.  Are there enough lanes that one can speed through without having to think about it?  No. Sadly, this trip may require a map, flexibility, and thinking. But dreadful?  Only on occasion, and almost never without better alternatives.

You've been lucky, I think.  Try that drive on any holiday weekend and you'll have great odds of lengthy delays.  We lived in the Philadelphia area for a grand total of 15 months and visited family in N.E. several times, hitting delays of 2 to as much as 5 hours along that part of the route - multiple times.  I got the impression that it's pretty commonplace. 

Redundancy?  Not really.  Given the population of the region, the number of lanes combined with the outdated freeway designs in SW CT cause a huge bottleneck.  When traffic is tied up on all 3 "highways", you're done.  There's not really a feasible surface route alternative, given the manner in which US Highways 1 and 6 meander through Fairfield County, each with an average speed that's really no better than the gridlock on I-84 or I-95.   

I'll say this: Maine has a similar bottleneck to deal with on I-95, the only interstate linking that state with the rest of the USA.   But I've found getting through Connecticut to be even worse, thanks to the sheer volume of traffic involved.   It's so bad sometimes that we would sometimes take Amtrak to New Haven and rent a car from there!

[Pete from Boston]

My sample size is enormous — like I said, hundreds of trips — so either we have very different approaches to the trip or maybe you've been unlucky. 

Holidays are what they are. You may have seen the threads with the individual looking for the easy route through NY — much like that doesn't exist, a route sufficient to handle a big holiday weekend may not ever be in the cards.  Roads are built for a certain typical maximum, not a worst-case scenario.

As for redundancy, let me explain:

From Boston, I have the usual 95 or 90 choice.  99% of the time this will be 90 to 84, though if there's an extreme anomaly 395 is a less-than-ideal option. 

Approaching Hartford, there's 15 to 91, 2 to 3 to 91, or 84.  If 91 is bad, I can "escape" to 84 on 9 or 691, or onto the Wilbur Cross.

From 84, I can easily shoot down the sleepy and fast CT 8 to the Merritt or 95.  Once on 684, I can take the Saw mill to either the Henry Hudson, the Thruway/Deegan, or the Sprain Brook.

From the Merritt, there are easy outs at the Milford Parkway, 8, or 7, all to 95, all of which also work well from 95 to the Merritt.  Once in New York State, I can stay on the Hutch, or bail out across the Cross Westchester  or Cross County to any of the southbound routes mentioned above.

None of these really takes me out of my way (395 and 95 east of New Haven are poor last resorts, and CT 9 veers north but that's about it) nor has below highway speed limits (except the few Saw Mill lights).

How many intercity trips offer this kind of flexibility?  Honestly, I just don't spend that much time in traffic on this trip.

[Strider]

I-78 in PA. Especially from its first merge with 22 east of 81 over to Hamburg. It's just laser-straight.

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I second that one. Out of the interstates I drove in, I-78 is the worst of all, followed by I-85 in Virginia (Tree canyon).

It's funny, while I-85 in Virginia is boring, I would never nominate it as a "worst" Interstate because on the way south, I've always found it to be a calm respite after fighting my way down I-95 from Fairfax County to Petersburg, and on the way north I always found it to be a silent, smooth road compared to the condition of North Carolina's portion. (I should mention that I was constantly driving I-85 between 1995 and 1998 while attending Duke Law, but I travel it a lot less since then and I know North Carolina was improving at least some segments of their portion between Durham and the state line.) In other words, the circumstances of where that particular segment falls in any trip beyond either end of Virginia's segment of I-85 trumps the "boring" aspect in my mind....although with that said, I'm not using that road on the way south this Saturday because I find US-29 to Greensboro to be more pleasant than the Interstate.

Yeah I'm saying this because while it's quiet and pleasant like you mentioned, sometimes it seems to feel like it's going on forever. Maybe I'm a slow driver. haha.

[Strider]

... but from Greensboro to Charlotte, they have really improved the road. It's wider and they rerouted the segment over the Yadkin River so that it's safer and that left-lane merge is gone. The Kannapolis section is still crowded, but I think they are widening that part too.

I'll see tomorrow how that segment is coming. I encountered a lot of that construction in December 2012 on our way south for Christmas, so I'm interested in seeing how it's evolved since then. I remember well how narrow the road used to be from the Yadkin down to the point where it cuts west near that US-29 access road. Even with the widening still in progress, it was a big improvement.

Yeah, I-85 in North Carolina is much better. There are more lanes from Exit 48-55 (recently finished widening to 8 lanes) and the new Yadkin River bridge. Much better. They're going to widen I-85 from Exit 55 to 63 as soon as the work is finished, and then from 63 to 68 a couple of years from there. As soon as the widening work is complete, I-85 will be 6-8 lanes from Exit 10 to 163. Hopefully they will widen I-85 from there to Durham soon.

[NWI_Irish96]

Worst interstate drive I've ever experienced was I-24 from Chattanooga to Nashville after sunset on March 12, 1993.